Which country has played in the most World Cup finals?
Sunday will be the sixth time that Argentina have played in a World Cup final.
The World Cup semi-finals are over and we now await the 2022 final on Sunday 18 December between Argentina and France.
It will be the sixth time that Argentina have played in a World Cup final and the third time that France will feature, after Les Bleus beat Morocco 2-0 on Wednesday.
Which country has played in the most World Cup finals?
Germany have played in a record eight World Cup finals. Only eight countries have won the World Cup since its inception in 1930.
Brazil have featured in seven World Cup finals, with Italy (6), Argentina (5) and the Netherlands (3) coming next on the list. The Seleção are also the only country to have participated in every tournament since the opening one in Uruguay 92 years ago.
Five-star Brazil
Brazil have lifted the Jules Rimet trophy on five occasions, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002. Many fancied Tite’s side to win the 2022 edition but they fell short again and will have to wait at least another four years before picking up their next World Cup title.
European heavyweights Germany and Italy are in second place with four World Cups each but the Germans have been in more finals than the Italians.
The last time Germany were in a final was in 2014, when they broke Argentinian hearts with an extra time winner from Mario Gotze.
Argentina, Uruguay and France have all lifted the trophy twice, and Spain and England have won it once.
World Cup wins by country
- Brazil: five (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
- Germany/West Germany: four (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)
- Italy: four (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006)
- Argentina: two (1978, 1986)
- France: two (1998, 2018)
- Uruguay: two (1930, 1950)
- England: one (1966)
- Spain: one (2010)
Argentina’s World Cup success
Lionel Scaloni’s side will have a chance to lift the most coveted trophy in world football this Sunday. If they can get past Didier Deschamps’ men, it will be the third World Cup title for the South American side and the first for Lionel Messi.
Maradona leads Argentina to glory
Argentina’s last World Cup success came in 1986, when a Diego Maradona-inspired side defeated West Germany 3-2 in Mexico City. Eight years before the World Cup in Mexico, as the host nation in Argentina, La Albiceleste beat the Netherlands 3-1 at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.